Why are MLB City Connect Jerseys so bad in 2023?
Back in 2021, MLB announced they were partnering with Nike to bring City Connect jerseys to all 30 teams. We already have a list ranking most of them, and it would be a lie to say that none of them turned out great. It wouldn’t be a lie to say the jerseys that have been released so far in 2023 have been flat-out terrible.
So far, 2023 has brought us the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. Each of these jerseys has some good features, but the bad outweighs the good in all these situations. Some of them are so boring it reminds me of Great Britain‘s jerseys in the World Baseball Classic. Let’s talk about it!
Baltimore Orioles
Obviously, you can see the meaning of the uniform. The city of Baltimore is simple, and they wanted to show that off in the uniform. Could they have done a better job of that? Absolutely. A black jersey with plain white lettering that looks like a basic Times New Roman font is just too boring. The “B” on the hat and helmet is a nice design, but that’s all this uniform has going for it. These ones are very close to those Great Britain jerseys, providing barely any detail and just a bore to look at.
Texas Rangers
These aren’t the worst, and they’re definitely an upgrade over the Orioles. They aren’t the best either, and even by knowing the meaning behind them they just aren’t that good.
“Our City Connect uniform celebrates the origin story of the Rangers and the Texas spirit that brought Dallas and Fort Worth together in Arlington,” the organization said, explaining the design.
The big “TX” logo isn’t bad, it’s something different and this organization needs some kind of change. The blue pants just don’t mesh well with the cream jersey at all. I see more of the Detroit Tigers in these than the Texas Rangers, and I feel like there’s a better “Texas” look out there.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves City Connects are probably the best ones of 2023. The tribute to Hank Aaron is all over the uniform, and the color scheme works perfectly. The only negative thing I have to say about these is the Braves already had a throwback uniform just like these, so it seems a bit repetitive. When you compare them to the other City Connect jerseys this year, these clear by a mile.
Seattle Mariners
While they’re not completely boring, they give me the same feeling as the Rangers uniform. The blue jersey with the black pants just doesn’t sit well, especially with the yellow sitting on top.
Make the pants match the jersey and the Mariners might actually be cooking. Even grey or white pants would go better than black. I love the logo on the hat and the yellow and blue work great on the jersey.
Cincinnati Reds
We were doing so well with the Braves and Mariners, and now we come crashing back down with the Reds. Black and red always look nice together, but they’re just too simple. There’s nothing fancy about the logo or the lettering across the jersey, and the “C” is a little too close to the Cleveland Guardians. Great color scheme, but very poor design overall. These just aren’t worth getting excited over, and wearing these as a fan in heat sounds like a nightmare.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are set to be the last team in 2023 to receive City Connect Jerseys on June 27. Hopefully, they’re able to make something out of yellow and black, but I’m not holding my breath. Even with the Braves and Mariners carrying, 2023 has been extremely unsuccessful for City Connect jerseys in MLB. I don’t know if Nike is just getting lazy or the creativity has just fallen off a cliff, but something has to change fast.
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